Aeroplane safety device



Nov. 20, 1928. v

H. BIERGMANN AEROPLANE SAFETY DEVI CEIIIIIII'llI/III'IIIIIIIIII'IIIIIII"III'IIIIIII. I)!

' INVENTOR. w Ina/m )f'd BY Arrom'way.

Nov. 20, 1928.

. H. BERGMANN AEROPLANE SAFETY DEVI CE Filed Aug- 22, 1927 2Sheets-Sheet I N VEN TOR A TTORNE Y.

Patented Nov. 20,1928;

UNITED STATES;

.PATENT- oF,F C

HERMANN BER MANN, or n'nr'norr, MICHIGAN.

AEROPLANE SAFETY DEVICE.

A Application fi1 ed August 22, 1927. Serial Kb, 214,503.

' any other cause.

It is an ob ect of the invention to provide an aeroplane safety devicewhich can be quickly applied to any type of plane, and

which is cheap to manufacture.

Another object of the invention is to pro vide an aeroplane safetydevice which can be quickly released with one operation, and which willmove rapidly into operative position. 1 v

With these and other objects in view, the invention is hereinafter morefully described with the aid of the accompanying drawings, in whichFigure 1 illustrates a side. elevation of an aeroplane with the safetydevice in operative position, and J .13 Figure 2 shows a plan view of anaeroplane and the relative positions of the various parts of the device.Figures 3 and 4 are enlarged sections lines 33 and 44 of Figure 2..

Figure'5 is a sectional view showing a modified form of construction,and j Figure 6 is a plan view of Figure 5. Referring to the drawings, 1designates an ordinary aeroplane body having conventional wings 2 andacockpit 3. .Throughthe upper surface of the body is an opening 4normally closedby a cover 5, whichlatter. is attached by means of aspring hinge 6 to the said body.

on the 7 indicates a catch pivotally mounted on the bod to: hold thecover in closed position agamst the tension of thespring hinge. Withinthe body and under the opening 4 is ;a' parachute 8 fastened by ropes 9to a suitable anchor, such as the eyebolt 10 within the body.

Similarlyin the upper surface of the wings 2 are openings 4 normallyclosed by covers 5". Thesecovers are p-ivotally mounted on the wings byspring hinges 6", and the latter are normally prevented from swingingthe covers into open position by pivotally arranged catches 7 a whichengage the opposite margins of the covers. Under the openings 4parachutes 18? are secured by ropes 9 to fastening means, such aseyebolts 10, within the said wings.

In the cockpit, or adjacent to it, a compressed air tank 25 is secured.From this come operative.

tank is a feed pipe 12 having a valve 13 therein. The feed pipeterminates at its opposite end in a lurality of branches 14 and 14. Thebranc 14 runs rearwardly of the machine and has an upturned open endlocated under the parachute 8; the branches 14 run laterally one intoeach wing and have open upturned ends which terminate under theparachutes 8.

Within easy reach of the operator in the cockpit is a lever 15. Thislever is preferably pivotally secured to the floor as shown at 16. 17indicates a link connected to the lever and also to a handle 13i/on thevalve 13. To this lever a plurality of cords 18 and 18 are also secured.The cord 18 passes around pul leys 19 revolvably mounted on' the bodyand is fastened at its opposite end to the catch'7,

.and the cords 18 pass around pulleys 19 and have their opposite endssecured to the catches 7 From the foregoing it will 'be seen that whenthe lever is moved in the direction-of the arrow A the catchesreleasethe covers '5 and 5 so that the will immediately be opened by theirspring inges 63nd 6* respectively, and the valve 14 is also opened sothat compressed air passesout of the ends of the pipes 14 and Figure 5shows a modified form of construe:

tion wherein the branch pipe 14 terminates inone end of a cylinder 20.In thiscylinderis-a pis on 21 normally held by the tension of a spring22 towards the end of the cylinder intowhichfthe pipe 14 is run. Securedto the piston is a rod 23 the outer end of which isfaste'ned to thecatch 7 Through the side of the cylinder 20 a second pipe 14 isprovidedthe opposite end of which is open and is located under the parachute 8.So that when the valve 13 is open air, passes through the pipe 14*, intothe cylinder 20, moves the piston 21 against the tension of the spring22 so that the air may escape through the pipe '14' and dischargesthrough the open end of the latter. Obviously this causes the catch 7 toturn sothat the cover is free to be opened which are a away with and theentire mechanism operated by the valve handle 13.

,Vhile i the foregoing the preferred embodiments of the invention havebeen de-' scribed and shown, it is' understood that the construction issusceptible to such modifications as fall within the scope of theappended claim. I

, What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent isIn an aeroplane safety device, the combinationof an aeroplane having abody and wings,

said body and wings having openings in their upper sides,- coversonsai-d openings, means for tending to open said covers, catches forholding said coversjn closed position, parachutes in and secured to saidbody and wings under said openings, cylinders on said aeroplane one adacent to each of said covers, pistonsin said cylinders, piston rodsextendlng from said, pistons and adapted'to release said catches, a tankon said aeroplane adapted to contain a compressed fluid, pipes from saidtank to one end of each of said cylinders, a valve to control the outletfrom said .tank into said pipes, 'and other pipes from said cylin- 1ders terminating under said parachutes, said other pipes being soconnected to said cylinders that when said pistons havebeen moved apredetermined distance by the compressed fluid the ends of-these otherpipes become.

exposed to said fluid so that the latter exhausts under said parachutesand ejectsthe latter 'through said openings.

, I-IERMANN BERGMANN.

